Magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocks Iran, Pakistan felt in UAE

An earthquake preliminarily measured at 7.8 magnitude hit the Iran-Pakistan border on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The earthquake was felt as far away as Abu Dhabi, where buildings shook for 40 seconds or more, but it's not yet clear what damage has been caused across region. Shafiq Ahmed, an official with Pakistan's metreological department, told CNN the tremor, which he put at magnitude 7.9, struck inside southern Iran, near the border with Pakistan. Tremors were felt in southern Pakistan, including the city of Karachi, and across Balochistan province Carrieann Bedwell, a USGS seismologist, said a 7.8 magnitude earthquake was "a large event for any area" and could be expected to cause damage in inhabited places.

Aftershocks can be expected for days or weeks after a quake of the magnitude, she said. The earthquake was measured at a preliminary depth of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles.)

Residential and commercial buildings and hospitals in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have been evacuated. People have been standing outside their buildings fearing aftershocks.